Harrison
Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor who between
1977 and 1983 appeared in what were then four of the
top ten highest-grossing movies ever.
In most of his roles, Ford plays a
tough, wise-cracking action hero, and is especially
well known for his repeated performances of the characters
of Han Solo of the Star Wars films, and Indiana Jones
of Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels.
Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois.
His mother, Dorothy Ford was a Russian Jew, while
his father, Christopher Ford, was Irish and Roman
Catholic (and a former actor). He graduated from Maine
Township High School in Park Ridge, Illinois in 1960
where he reportedly was picked on by bullies and ignored
by girls. He attended Ripon College in Wisconsin,
where he took a drama class in his junior year. Ford,
a self-described "late bloomer," became
fascinated with acting. While in college, towards
the end of his freshman year, he was a member of a
folk band called The Brothers Gross. He played the
gutbucket (an upside down washbucket rigged with a
broomstick and a single bass string).
He married his college sweetheart,
Mary Marquardt, in 1964. Ford (and his new wife) moved
to Los Angeles, California, and he contracted with
Columbia Pictures for $150 a week in the studio's
New Talent program where he had bit parts in three
films. He then went to Universal Studios and did minor
television roles. Not happy with the acting jobs being
offered to him, Ford became a self-taught professional
carpenter to better support his wife and two small
sons before his break through role in American Graffiti.
Ironically it was his work as a carpenter that would
land Ford his biggest role. George Lucas hired Ford
in 1975 to build some cabinets for his house and used
him to read lines for actors being cast for parts
in Star Wars. It was Steven Spielberg who first noticed
that Ford was perfect for the part of Han Solo.
Ford went on to star as Han Solo in
the first three Star Wars films. He starred as Indiana
Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark and two further movies,
and as Jack Ryan in Tom Clancy's Patriot Games and
Clear and Present Danger. He has also starred in Blade
Runner, Witness, The Fugitive (1993), and the remake
of Sabrina, among others.
Ford's major film roles have all come
to him by default - Han Solo due to him reading in
for other actors, Indiana Jones due to Tom Sellick
not being available and Jack Ryan due to Alec Baldwin's
fee demands.
The Guinness Book of Records (2001)
listed Ford as the richest actor alive. His reported
salary for the 2002 movie K-19: The Widowmaker was
over $25,000,000. Despite being arguably the most
successful actor of his generation, he has received
only one Oscar nomination, for Best Actor for Witness.
However, in 2000, he received the Life Achievement
Award from the American Film Institute.
Ford assisted musician Jimmy Buffett
by recording whip cracks (a skill learned for Raiders
of the Lost Ark) used in the song "Desperation
Samba (Halloween in Tijuana)."
Ford was credited as "Harrison
J. Ford" for a small role in a 1967 Western A
Time for Killing, but the "J" didn't stand
for anything. Ford does not have a middle name. He
was credited as such to avoid confusion with another
actor named Harrison Ford, a silent-film actor who
died in 1957. The first Ford has a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame in front of famed eatery Musso &
Frank. The modern-day Harrison Ford received a star
on Hollywood Boulevard on June 2, 2003.
Ford has been married twice. He married
Mary Marquadt in 1964 and divorced in, 1979, and had
two children with her, Benjamin and Willard. He married
again, to Melissa Mathison, in 1983, divorcing in
2003, and had with her another two children, a son,
Malcom, and a daughter, Georgia. He is engaged to
actress Calista Flockhart.
Ford is a private pilot of both planes
and helicopters, and owns an 800 acre (3.2 km²)
ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. On several occasions
he has personally provided emergency helicopter services
at the behest of local authorities. In one instance,
he rescued a hiker overcome by dehydration. He is
the current Chairman of the Experimental Aircraft
Association's Young Eagle program, taking over after
Chuck Yeager retired. Ford also gives of his time
and money for environmental causes. He sits on the
Board of Directors of Conservation International.
He dislikes public speaking but once
appeared before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on behalf
of the people of Tibet. His goal was to prevent China
from gaining Most Favored Nation because of the Chinese
occupation of Tibet.
2006 Indiana Jones 4 Indiana Jones Pre-production
2005 Godspeed Announced
2005 The Wrong Element Filming
2003 Hollywood Homicide Joe Gavilan
2002 K-19: The Widowmaker Alexei Vostrikov
2000 What Lies Beneath Dr. Norman Spencer
1999 Random Hearts Sergeant William "Dutch"
Van Den Broeck
1998 Six Days Seven Nights Quinn Harris
1997 Air Force One President James Marshall
1997 The Devil's Own Tom O'Meara
1995 Sabrina Linus Larrabee
1995 Les Cent et une nuits Himself
1994 Jimmy Hollywood Himself
1994 Clear and Present Danger Jack Ryan
1994 A Century of Cinema Himself
1994 Mustang: The Hidden Kingdom (TV) Narrator
1993 The Fugitive Dr. Richard Kimble
1992 Commercial Entertainment Product Himself (uncredited)
1992 Earth and the American Dream Narrator
1992 Patriot Games Jack Ryan
1992 L'Envers du décor: Portrait de Pierre
Guffroy
1991 Regarding Henry Henry Turner
1990 Presumed Innocent Rusty Sabich
1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indiana Jones
1988 Working Girl Jack Trainer
1988 Frantic Dr. Richard Walker
1986 The Mosquito Coast Allie Fox
1985 Witness Detective Captain John Book
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Indiana
Jones
1983 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Han
Solo
1982 Blade Runner Rick Deckard
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones
1980 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Han Solo
1979 More American Graffiti Officer Bob Falfa (uncredited)
1979 The Frisco Kid Tommy Lillard
1979 Apocalypse Now Colonel Lucas
1979 Hanover Street David Halloran
1978 The Star Wars Holiday Special (TV) Han Solo
1978 Force 10 from Navarone Lieutenant Colonel Mike
Barnsby
1977 Heroes Ken Boyd
1977 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Han Solo
1977 The Possessed (TV) Paul Winjam
1976 Dynasty (TV) Mark Blackwood
1975 Judgement: The Court Martial of Lt William Calley
(TV) Frank Crowder
1974 The Conversation Martin Stett
1973 American Graffiti Bob Falfa
1970 The Intruders (TV) Carl
1970 Getting Straight Jake
1970 Zabriskie Point Airport worker (uncredited)
1968 Journey to Shiloh Willie Bill Rearden
1967 A Time for Killing Lieutenant Shaffer
1967 Luv Hippy (uncredited)
1966 Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Bellhop
Salary history
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) - $25,000,000 + 20% of
the Gross
What Lies Beneath (2000) - $20,000,000
Random Hearts (1999) - $20,000,000
Six Days Seven Nights (1998) - $20,000,000
Air Force One (1997) - $22,000,000
Devil's Own, The (1997) - $20,000,000
Presumed Innocent (1990) - $12,500,000
American Graffiti (1973) - $500/week
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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